Interview with Lou Holtz on Goal Setting

The events that led up to my interview with Coach Lou Holtz are no coincidence. I attribute it to the Law of Attraction.

About a month ago, my wife and I purchased the Dream Big Collection by Jack Canfield. When we received the products in the mail, it came with a DVD titled Living the Law of Attraction.

If you haven't heard Jack Canfield present, you're missing out. He has a way of remembering and telling stories that inspire everyone in the room.

Jack recalled an interview he conducted with Coach Lou Holtz, former legendary football coach of Notre Dame and now ESPN commentator. At the point of their interview, the coach had reached 102 of his 107 goals. They included winning a National Championship, eating dinner at the White House, meeting the Pope, and landing a plane on an aircraft carrier.

Well, that prompted me to reach out to the coach for an interview about smart goal setting. After a few emails and going through several contacts and assistants, I accomplished my goal in getting a quick interview.

1. I recently watched a video of Jack Canfield giving a presentation on Living the Law of Attraction. He said that you had written down 107 goals when you were in your 20s and you had reached 102 of them. What was one of the last goals you met and can you describe what happened?

The last one was when I was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame in May of 2008.

2. What was the name of the book that triggered you to make a list?

The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz.

3. Now that you are older, how has meeting your goals changed from when you were younger?

Completely. It has taught me to take charge of my life and that everything that happens to me, good or bad, is because of the decisions I make.

4. What is a goal you haven't reached yet and what are you doing today to make it come to fruition?

Can't speak a second language! I have tapes on how to speak Spanish, but I haven't been able to block out the amount of time necessary to achieve this.

5. As we all know, sometimes realizing our aspirations involves other individuals. Being a legendary coach of young athletes, what would you do to encourage your players to help reach the goals of the coach, the player, and the team?

Everyone must have the same objectives. Also, everyone must understand how they will personally benefit when we reach our goals.

6. Can you share some of your tips and techniques that you use, or have used, in order to make your dreams a reality?

1) Decide what you want to achieve and the date.

2) What talents you must acquire to do this.

3) Who do you have to work with to achieve this.

4) What problems must you overcome to achieve this.

5) Have a plan.

6) Share with others why they will benefit.

7. I have heard that only 3% of Americans have a list of measurable goals. What would you say is the biggest barrier for people not reaching their aspirations or not even making a goal list?

They aren't determined-they don't have a goal, they have a wish list.

8. What do you do when you fail to meet a goal you have set?

Figure out why I didn't and learned from it!

9. Which goal did you meet that you would say impacted you the most?

Being married to the same wife for 48 years. Having all 4 children graduate from college, 3 from Notre Dame and 1 from Centenary. We're a close family that care about each other.

10. What advice do you have for people setting their goals today?

Be realistic but don't underestimate how talented you are.

We want to express our gratitude to Lou Holtz for taking the time out of his busy schedule to share some of his wisdom on goal setting.

I hope this will encourage you to start setting goals. Use a goal setting worksheet. Lou Holtz is in his 70s now and he is still going strong pursuing his dreams, old and new.